Ohio State football | Freshmen expected to step up early

Sunday

John Cooper uttered plenty of memorable lines during his 13 years as Ohio State coach, and one of his favorites was, 'If a dog will bite you, he'll bite you as a pup.'

With that in mind, current coach Urban Meyer and his staff likely are counting on a whole lot of biting heading into the 2016 season.

Consider this: 21 of the 25 members of the 2015 recruiting class were redshirted. Add in a 2016 recruiting class that numbers 22 and could be 24 or more when letters of intent are signed starting on Wednesday. That's at least 43 of the 85 scholarship spots on the 2016 team.

Heading in the 2015 season, that group numbered just 37, with Ohio State loaded with returning starters from its 2014 team.

But a school-record nine underclassmen left for the NFL after last season. Couple that with the departing seniors, and Ohio State will return just three regular starters on offense " quarterback J.T. Barrett, linemen Pat Elflein and Billy Price " and three on defense " end Tyquan Lewis, linebacker Raekwon McMillan and cornerback Gareon Conley.

Headed toward spring practice, there are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors penciled in to fill the starting voids. But for depth, the Buckeyes will have to lean on their redshirt freshmen and probably some of the freshmen from the incoming class, which Rivals ranks No. 1 nationally with three days to go.

One player from the incoming group who could contribute immediately is defensive end Nick Bosa, brother of All-American Joey Bosa. Some analysts have said Nick Bosa is a more polished prospect than his brother was when Joey Bosa emerged as a starter as a freshman.

Nick Bosa is recovering from knee surgery that caused him to miss half of his high school senior season in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but his rehabilitation is said to be going well.

'Feel like I could play (right now),' he tweeted late last week.

If he's ready, he should get that chance. It could be the same for several other members of the 2016 class.

At tight end, the only returning player with experience is Marcus Baugh. That's one reason OSU loaded up with three four-star prospects: Jake Hausmann, Luke Farrell and Kierre Hawkins.

As for those who were redshirted in 2015, none did so more grudgingly than running back Mike Weber. But with Ezekiel Elliott headed to the NFL, Weber's time has come. He will compete with senior Bri'onte Dunn to start.

Linebacker Justin Hilliard was considered the leader of the 2015 class. But he and promising fellow freshman Nick Conner, who was outstanding as an early enrollee in spring practice, redshirted because of injuries. They are expected to figure into the two-deep in August.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Burrow likely will be considered the backup to Barrett when spring practice begins. Classmate Liam McCullough seems to be the heir apparent to departing deep snapper Bryce Haynes.

Although the group of freshmen and redshirt freshmen does not include receiver Noah Brown, he is a member in spirit. He was a redshirt freshman headed into last fall who had been impressive in preseason camp only to suffer a broken leg a week before the opener.

Since starting receivers Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall are among those leaving early, Brown should return to the top of the list. Freshman Austin Mack, who enrolled early, could make a bid in the spring, along with K.J. Hill, who redshirted last season.

tmay@dispatch.com

@TIM_MAYsports

John Cooper uttered plenty of memorable lines during his 13 years as Ohio State coach, and one of his favorites was, 'If a dog will bite you, he'll bite you as a pup.'

With that in mind, current coach Urban Meyer and his staff likely are counting on a whole lot of biting heading into the 2016 season.

Consider this: 21 of the 25 members of the 2015 recruiting class were redshirted. Add in a 2016 recruiting class that numbers 22 and could be 24 or more when letters of intent are signed starting on Wednesday. That's at least 43 of the 85 scholarship spots on the 2016 team.

Heading in the 2015 season, that group numbered just 37, with Ohio State loaded with returning starters from its 2014 team.

But a school-record nine underclassmen left for the NFL after last season. Couple that with the departing seniors, and Ohio State will return just three regular starters on offense " quarterback J.T. Barrett, linemen Pat Elflein and Billy Price " and three on defense " end Tyquan Lewis, linebacker Raekwon McMillan and cornerback Gareon Conley.

Headed toward spring practice, there are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors penciled in to fill the starting voids. But for depth, the Buckeyes will have to lean on their redshirt freshmen and probably some of the freshmen from the incoming class, which Rivals ranks No. 1 nationally with three days to go.

One player from the incoming group who could contribute immediately is defensive end Nick Bosa, brother of All-American Joey Bosa. Some analysts have said Nick Bosa is a more polished prospect than his brother was when Joey Bosa emerged as a starter as a freshman.

Nick Bosa is recovering from knee surgery that caused him to miss half of his high school senior season in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but his rehabilitation is said to be going well.

'Feel like I could play (right now),' he tweeted late last week.

If he's ready, he should get that chance. It could be the same for several other members of the 2016 class.

At tight end, the only returning player with experience is Marcus Baugh. That's one reason OSU loaded up with three four-star prospects: Jake Hausmann, Luke Farrell and Kierre Hawkins.

As for those who were redshirted in 2015, none did so more grudgingly than running back Mike Weber. But with Ezekiel Elliott headed to the NFL, Weber's time has come. He will compete with senior Bri'onte Dunn to start.

Linebacker Justin Hilliard was considered the leader of the 2015 class. But he and promising fellow freshman Nick Conner, who was outstanding as an early enrollee in spring practice, redshirted because of injuries. They are expected to figure into the two-deep in August.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Burrow likely will be considered the backup to Barrett when spring practice begins. Classmate Liam McCullough seems to be the heir apparent to departing deep snapper Bryce Haynes.

Although the group of freshmen and redshirt freshmen does not include receiver Noah Brown, he is a member in spirit. He was a redshirt freshman headed into last fall who had been impressive in preseason camp only to suffer a broken leg a week before the opener.

Since starting receivers Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall are among those leaving early, Brown should return to the top of the list. Freshman Austin Mack, who enrolled early, could make a bid in the spring, along with K.J. Hill, who redshirted last season.

tmay@dispatch.com

@TIM_MAYsports

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